Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman became known as a conductor on the Underground Railroad during the 1850's. She was born a slave in Dorchester county Maryland, she took on a hard life being a slave, including being brutally beaten. In 1849 she left slavery, leaving her husband and family behind so that she could escape. Although it was dangerous, she came back to the South about 19 times to lead her family and hundreds of other slaves to freedom with the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman also served as a scout, spy and nurse during the Civil War.
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass, born in 1818, was an American abolitionist and author. Douglass was born a slave, but managed to escape at the age of 20 and went on to become a anti-slavery activist. His three autobiographies are considered important classics of American autobiography. Douglass' work as a reformer started from his abolitionist activities in the early 1840's to his attacks on Jim Crow and mobbing in the 1890's. He edited a black newspaper for 16 years and gained international fame as an inspiring and persuasive writer and speaker. In his speeches and editorials, he imposed a powerful charge against racism and slavery, provided a strong voice of hope for his people, and embraced antislavery politics and preached his own ideas of Americanism.